The Lion And The Lamb

(((This is an Easter blog I wrote a couple years ago, but since Resurrection Sunday falls on the same day that we flip the calendar page, I thought it’d be good to revisit again.)))

You’ve probably heard the saying, “March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” As we’re in Easter week, I wanna take a minute and share two spiritual perspectives for you to pull out of this saying (spoiler alert: weather forecasting is not one of them).

“March comes in like a lion and goes out like a lamb.” When we learned this phrase growing up, we were being told that storms early in the month were predicting better weather later. We shouldn’t be downcast just because the weather was overcast. If anything, we should be encouraged – we see the clouds and rain, and know that the sunshine was coming. Current storms are the proof! In Matthew 26, Jesus tells his disciples that He’s about to be betrayed and handed over to the Romans. Right before He walks to Gethsemane, He says, “But after I am raised up, I, your Shepherd, will go ahead of you, leading the way to Galilee.” Imagine! Jesus is saying that, as surely as His betrayal and death will take place, He’ll meet up with them again right here on planet Earth. I hope that the disciples, in the midst of the unimaginable three days they were about to go through, were able to – at least in the back of their minds – see what Jesus had said was coming to pass and interpret it as proof that the REST of what He said will also come to pass (namely, the hopeful part!). Maybe that’s true for you right now too. Just like it was for the disciples, trials come in like a lion and hit you head-on; but like storms early in March, they can be viewed as proof that God’s working on the other side. The peace of God and restoration in Jesus is coming like a lamb, one way or another!

Easter’s typically a few days deeper into April, but this year it’s right as we turn the calendar page. So, what if we swap that lamb/lion phrase around? “In like a Lamb and out like a Lion…” There’s another great reminder here! Think about Good Friday; Jesus died and was buried. That’s “coming in like a Lamb” to me. Not only as a sacrificial Lamb, but in a position of weakness – God choosing to become weak like us. Of course, weakness and sacrifice are only the first part of the story. Jesus sure came out of the tomb like a Lion – bold, strong, a conqueror!

This Easter, let’s remember that, just like it was for the disciples, trials come in like a lion (overwhelming and sudden) and can go out like a lamb (the peace of God wins out). Let’s also celebrate that, although Jesus may have gone into the tomb like a Lamb (sacrificial and weak), He sure turned eternity on its head when He burst out like a Lion (a strong champion)! Jesus himself and the community of faith around you are right by your side either way.